Orchestrion



G. P. SMITH.

URCHESTRWN.

APPLICATFON min u[c.29,|9|1.

Patented J une 3, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. P. SMITH.

ORCHESTBION.

APPLscATmN m50 nec.2s,|9|1.

1 ,$305,942. Patented June 3, 1919.

3 SHEElS-SHHT 2.

f Zara 4- ff z d /J /0 /////l V/f z3 IL G. P. SMITH.

ORCHESTRION.

APPucATloN FILED utenza. |911.

1,305,942. Patented June 3, 1919.

3 SHEETSWSHHIT 3.

UNrren s'ra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. SMITH, 0F BOLEY, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JAMES C. JACKSON, OF LANGSTON, OKLAHOMA.

OBCHESTBION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed December 29, 1917. Serial No. 209,500.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bole in the county of Okfuskee and State of O lahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Orchestrions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the S21-Ille- This invention has for its object to provide an improved orchestrion, including a plurality of musical instruments and pedal operated means for playing or operating the various instruments.

Another object is the provision of an 0rchestrion including, among other musical instruments, a series of snare drums and pedal operated means for vibrating the sticks upon the drum heads in a manner closely resembling the manipulation of the sticks by an experienced drummer.

Another object is the provision of an orchestrion including pedal operated means for playing or operating various combinations of instruments, such as bone clappers, triangles and a tambourine.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the orchestrion, partly broken away,

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary vertical sectional view in the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary vertical sectional view in the plane of the line 4 1 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary vertical sectional view in the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 represents a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken in approximately the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the opposite direction from Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a detail of the tambourine and the means for operating the same, partly in sectlon.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates a platform, which is supported upon side members 11 and front and rear members 12 and 13` respectively. A housing 14 having an open front is supported upon the platform 10 and constitutes a support for several of the various musical instruments comprising the orchcstrion.

As shown in Fig. 2, the front end of thc platform 10 rojectsforwardly of the housing 1l and 1s designed to support a bass drum, which is indicated in dotted lines in that figure. A bass drum stick 16, carrying a head 17 at its upper end, is pivotally supported at 18 in the front portion of the plat form 10, and the upper terminal thereof is normally retained in rearwardly extended position by the tension of a contractile spring 19, which connects the medial portion of the drum stick with the platform 10. A pedal 2O is pivotally secured at 21 in a depending bracket arm 22 attached to the platform 10 and projects rearwardly from the rear end of the platform 10 into such position as to be conveniently operated by the foot of the player. The pivoted terminal of the pedal carries an outwardly directed arm 23, which is movably engaged in a cross head 24, slidably supported in guides Q5 secured in spaced relation upon the platform 10. The arm 23 is connected intermediate its ends with a connecting link or rod 26, which is pivotally attached at 27 to the bass drum stick 16 at a point below the pivotal axis of the latter, whereby upon depression of the pedal 20 the arm 23 and link 26 are moved rearwardly, thus swinging the upper terminal 17 of the drum stick against the head of the bass drum 15. The lower terminal of the drum stick 16 is further provided with a forwardly projecting rod Q8, which extends through the front supporting member 12 for the platform and through a relatively stationary cymbal 29, and carries a cymbal Q8 which is adapted to be reciprocated horizontally during swinging movement of the drum stick 16. The relatively stationary cymbal 29 is secured to the front supporting member 12 and is adapted to be strucik by the relatively movable cymbal 2Sa during rearward movement ofthe latter to produce a sound re- 5 sembling the clash of cymbals.

A pair of uprights 30 are secured in spaced relation upon the top of the husii'ig 11 and support a plurality of drum stick boxes 31. whih Aare arranged one above the i0 other between the uprights 30. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the boxes 31 project forwardly of the uprights 30 and each box is adapted to support a snare drum 22. which arev indicated in dottedlines in Fig. Q.

15 Y Yithin each ofthe boxes 31, at a point adjacen the'rearenifis journaled a roller s iaft Sais also journalel in each box 51, at a Vpoint adjacent the forward end thereof, and supports a pair of drum sticks 35, which are adapted `to bekswung forwardly lagainst ythe head of the ad'acent drum 32 when the shaft 31 is osci lated.

The drum 'sticks 35 are normally retained in rearwardly extended Aposition and in spaced relation to the heads ofthe drums 32 by springs @6, which aire connected at one end to the drums or rollers 33 and arc attached at theiropp'osite ends :to a pin 37 secured to each VYshaft 31. The drum sticksa 35 of each pair are preferably arranged in spaced relation on the shafts 38, as shown in Fig.l 2, so as to strike against the head of theadjgacent drum in rapid suc cession. A pedal 39 for simultaneously Sactuating several dlruvm'stiksi is pivotally ysecured at 10 to a bracket 4:1 depending from the platfom 10 and a cable or other flexible element ft2 is .secured to the pedal 39 at a point rearwardly of its pivotalaxis. The

40 cable i2 extendsupwardly through openings nformed in thejplatform andthe top and bottom of the boxes 31 and is passed one or more times about eachr of the several rollers 33, being secured at its upper` end to the uppermost roller. I When the pedal 391is depressed each of the several rollers A33 is Vgiven a rotaryA movement which is trans- `mitted toV the snare drum sticks 35 by niembersI 44,- connecting the lower terminals of thedrumisticks 35 with the upper portions of the: rollers 33. When the pedal 39 lreleased the drum sticks 35 are restored to their normal position by the tension ofthe springs 36.

The two pedals 20 and I39 are arranged side by side under theiplatform 10 andthe rear terminals thereof project beyond the rear end of the platform n.10 so as to be conveniently actuated by the operator.

80 A thirdpedal 45 is arranged under the platform 10 to the left of the pedal 39 and xispivotally Supported at 46 `in depending bracket Ae157 attached tothe piatform 10.

Z A plurality of horizontally disposed shafts 4S are journaled inside ofthe housing l-l and are supported in bearing members 49 V.secured to the inner surfaces of the opposed Vside Walls of the housing.

(hie end of a coil rspring 5() having widely spaced convolutions is secured at one end to cach shaft 7n 48, and is fastened at its opposite end7 as at 51, to the inside of the wall of the housing 14, whereby when the shaft is rotated in either direction it is returned. when rcleased, to its original position. The shafts 18 are arranged one above the other inside the housing 11 and each of the shafts on the left-hand side ot' the housing 1i is provided with an inwardly directed arm 52, which `is connected by a cable 53 wil'h the so pedal 45 at a point rearwardly of the pivotal axis the latter. Upon'depression of the pedal 49 the shafts 48, which are coninected therewith Vby the cable 58, is oscib Vlated and the oscillatory Vmovement ofthese g5 shafts is transmitted to the shaftson theo' pposite side of the housing' 14 by arms Si and a link 55. y

The ends of the shafts 4S project forwardly of the open end of the housing 1l a() and dach supports a pair of relatively mov- 'ablelbone clappers 5G, which is loosely pivoted to the shaft by a `pin 57.

Duringthe siniultaneous oseillationof the t l i severa] shafts 4 8 the opposed terminals of 95 the several clappers 5G are struck together and whenthe pedal l5 is rdleasedthe shafts are vlibratetl by the springs 5U kfo'r brief period subsequent to the release of the pedal. l y

The lower left hand sl'1`aft eiS'is provided with an inclined arm 58,"`vifl ii`ch'is arranged yto strike against a'tringle 59 Aslippoited in (he front end ofthe housing 12k tto sound the triangle during oscillation of'the shaft. 105

l A fourth pedal 60 is arrangedunder the platform l() to theright "ofthe bass tirnm pedalv 20 and is pivotally supported Eatl in a depenflling bracket G2, carried by the platforn'l. he pedal is normally retained iio inxelevated position by the tension of a spring 63 and is attachedto a'tlexibie connecting element (i4, which extends upwardly through an openingr inithe platform 10 and is attached atA its upper terminal to an angularly directed arm "65, carried bT a shaft G6, which slatter is rotatably supported 4in bearing inenibers 67 arranged upon the platform 10. A rod or shaft GS 'is resiliently si porteda 1n a vertical position by 120 a spring ian'ger 69 attached tolthe'topV "f the housing 14, pern'iitting the rod or'shaftiGS to vibrate vertically and horizontally. IThe extren'le'lower Jterminal of the rod 'or shaft 68 is connected by an adjustable Acorin'eeting 125 member To with Yan arm 7l `carriedb the shaft 616. Adjacent itsn'ii'pper tefniinalfthe rod or Vshaft 68 is provided with a plurality of raditin and KupwarA ly directed VVarms 72, supporting a group of bells 73, which are sounded during vibration of the rod or shaft 68.

A forwardly directed arm 74 is secured to the rod 68 and extends through a triangle 75, which it is adapted to engage and sound during vibration of the rod 68. The triangle 75 is supported by a link 76 that is connected to the ri ht-hand side of the housing 11k, by an arm 7 A box 76 is supported upon the top of the housing 14 and supports a preferred type of tambourine 77, whleh is adapted to be engaged or struck by a clapper 78 pivotally secured at 79 in the boX 76, The lower left hand bone clapper actuating shaft 48 is provided with an inwardly directed arm 80, which is connected by a flexible connection 81 with the clapper 78 at a point above the pivotal axis of the latter, whereby7 when the shaft 48 is oscillated by an actuation of the pedal 45 the clapper 78 is struck against the tambourine 77, simultaneously with the operation of the several pairs of bones 56 and the triangle.

1. In an orchestrion, a series of shafts, pairs of loosely pivoted clappers carried by the shafts, means connecting the several shafts to transmit rotary motion of one to the others of the series, a pedal, and means connecting said pedal with one of the series of shafts to rotate the same.

2. In an orchestrion, a pivoted pedal, a plurality of clappers, shafts supportin the clappers, an arm carried by one o. the shafts, a triangle in position to be struck by the arms, means connecting said pedal with one of the shafts to rotate the latter, means for transniittin the rotary movement of said shaft to the ot er shaft, a stationary tambourine, and means operated by the pedal to strike the tambourine.

3. In an orchestrion, a platform, a shaft rotatably supported on the platform, spring means normally resisting rotational movement of the shaft in either direction, clappers pivotally secured to the shaft, and pedal operated means for rotating the shaft.

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE P. SMITH.

Witnesses:

WM. S. PETERS, M. H. MARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

